Hats off to Elan McAllister and her crew of Choices in Childbirth (CIC) volunteers for pulling off the most amazing birth fair on Saturday.
In addition to being the launching pad for the Transparency in Maternity Care project of CIMS, CIC was able to distribute their new second annual New York Guide to a Healthy Birth. This new guide is chock full of great information for pregnant families.
Karen Brody’s BOLD Red Tent was pretty incredible, too! The pregnant Moms seemed to love this sacred space where they could share birth stories, receive a massage, or do some yoga poses.
We all have so much work to do to improve maternity care! It was really inspirational to be able to participate in this step in the right direction.
You are truly magnificent! Anyone reading Sandra’s updates on the launch of the Transparency Project has little idea of the magnitude of this project or the magnificence of the women involved in this project. Doris Haire has been working for years to have hospitals reveal the real numbers associated with their interventions such as cesareans, induction,use of intravenous fluids and monitoring. New York passed the law but didn’t follow up on enforcement. These incredible women are taking it to the mat. They have combined their personal and professional skills to suck out the statistics mothers and fathers need to make decisions about where they give birth and who their professional providers will be. The Red Tent is just a sample of these women’s intent to bring normalcy back to birth.
My heart is filled with gratitude.
Barbara A. Hotelling
MSN, RNC, LCCE, CD(DONA)
Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner